Sedgwick County would violate federal rules if it began asking some health clinic clients about their immigration or citizenship status, federal authorities warn.

Asking participants in a federal nutrition program – Women, Infants and Children – about their legal status could put federal grant dollars for the entire health department at risk, U.S. Department of Agriculture officials said in emails obtained by The Eagle.

“The county should not be asking WIC clients about their citizenship status because it has no bearing on WIC eligibility,” Jeanette Montano, a regional WIC official for the Food and Nutrition Service, wrote in an Oct. 29 email to state WIC director David Thomason. “If they ask for additional information from WIC clients, in any form, they would be out of compliance … and subject to legal action.”